Pebble in the Sky
by Kidan
Summary: Ben Skywalker is suddenly transported back in time to before the battle of Geonosis. How will his presence and knowledge of future events affect things?
1. Prologue

**Pebble in the Sky**

* * *

_**Dramatis Personae**_

Ben Skywalker   
Valin Halycon   
Nejaa Halycon  
Scerra Halycon   
Nyche Senthe   
Anakin Skywalker   
Rostek Horn   
Syal Senthe

* * *

**Prologue**

Two minutes before Ben Skywalker disappeared from the galaxy he knew forever, he was strolling carefully down a midlevel Coruscant walkway. As he walked, he was whistling a Melodian wedding song softly to himself.

Ben was getting his fair share of looks from the young human females around him. At twenty years old, he has finished out his last growth spurt, which now allows him to tower over his parents at a good 1.87 meters. If one couples that height with the classical lines of his jaw, and wavy ginger hair, then it is easy to understand how Ben so easily attracts the eyes of the girls around him.

Not that he was concerned about that, for he was going to meet Jysella at a diner a short distance from his current location. Not knowing that he would not be able to keep that date, not knowing that he would never get to see her again. If he did know, he would probably be running to her now instead of this leisurely stroll, but of course if he ran, then he would probably have stayed in the galaxy that he knew.

As he finishes the Melodian wedding song, he starts whistling a Corellian one. This particular wedding song has always been one of his favorites, especially the lines which go:

_Grow old along with me!  
The best is yet to be,  
The last of life, for which the first was made_

He was not entirely sure why he loves that song just as much as he does, but there it was, his favorite verses to his favorite song. He notices the askance look one of the panhandlers gives his Jedi robes, as the panhandler quickly slinks away back into the alley, and Ben just continues walking, on his way to destiny.

He dances out of the way as a pack of younglings rush by him, the group so caught up in their arcane game that they barely see the him, even as he is standing in the middle of the walkway. Yet even that does not ruin his day.

It is now thirty seconds until he disappears, and he can see her sitting at a table inside the café. He feels a slight rumble and looks towards the horizon, noticing a pillar of smoke from some building exploding. He frowns and then pushes the building and smoke from his mind; he has a date and he is intending to keep it.

He notices that she has seen him, and is smiling at him; he returns her smile and waves to her. Then looking down he sees a rag doll on the ground. Even though it has been either discarded or lost, the rag doll has a bright smile stitched to its face, one that Ben cannot help but return. He lifts his foot to step over the rag doll and as he steps down….


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

For Ben Skywalker what happened occurred between one step and the next. He literally lifted his foot to step over the rag doll and was suddenly assailed with dizziness. Then as he lowered his foot, all the air whooshes out of him, and he collapses to the grass.

He closes his eyes fighting the nausea, not wanting to throw up. Finally his thoughts and mind calms down enough that he can wonder about the grass he is sitting on. He opens his eyes, and sees it growing wild all around him, a bright vibrant green, he looks around at the trees and flowers, and he can smell the scents of springtime.

He looks around once more, trying to find a hint, any sign of the durocrete that he was walking on, looking for some hint of the shops and restaurants which mere moments ago surrounded him. Hoping against hope for some sight of Jysella.

Looking down once more he notices the rag doll. He shouts in joy, a brief moment of reality, and then he notices that it has been truncated, sliced in half, as smoothly as if someone had taken a lightsaber to it. Ben leans down to examine the doll closer; noticing that the cut is unburned, and so smooth and precise, none of the stuffing is damaged at all.

Ben once more looks at the various trees, glancing from one to another, still wondering what to make of it all. For a brief moment he considers that he's gone insane. Then quickly pushes that from his mind as he still feels the same.

He reaches out with the Force, first trying to find Jysella, and then his parents. Yet while he can find people that resemble them, he cannot sense them at all.

He can feel his confusion and fears clawing at his spine, raising chill bumps on his arms. Without realizing it, he begins talking aloud to himself, the mere sound of his voice soothing him slightly. "Am I crazy? No, I'm not, but where am I?"

He looks around again, trying to see anything he can recognize. "Maybe I'm dreaming or having a Force vision." He remembers reading somewhere that people should pinch themselves to awaken from a dream, so he quickly does so, and feels the small nip of pain. Frowning as he realizes that he could just as easily dreamed that pain as truly felt it; he tries to think of something else.

He wipes his forehead, brushing away the cold sweat that has appeared on it. "What about amnesia?"

Then he puts his head on his knees and starts to quietly sob, venting his confusion and pain. Could he have wondered all the way to this planet, wherever it was, in a blank fog? What could he have done during that time? What did he do during that time?

"No!" His own cry of disbelief startles him. He looks down, noticing that he is still wearing the same robes that he put on for his date, then there is the doll, what would it be doing out here in the woods so far from civilization, especially when he had just stepped over the exact same one on Coruscant.

The quiet desolation begins to wear on him, and he quickly stands. He realizes that he will soon need to find people, shelter, even something to eat. He will need to find a way to get in touch with Jysella, and apologize for disappearing on her.

Looking around, he starts walking through where the trees seem the thinnest, hoping to find some sign of sentience in that direction.

Valin Halycon is a happy man, well almost. He is a mere seventeen years old, but he has found the girl that he is going to marry. Her name is Nyche Senthe, and at sixteen she is what he considers the perfection in feminine form. Smooth skin, long wavy black hair, and sparkling green eyes, and a figure to die for. But what Valin likes the best is her matter-of-fact way of approaching life. If he had to choose one word to describe her emotionally and intellectually he would have to go with "grounded." If he had to choose a single word to describe her overall, he would have to go with "perfect."

To say he is smitten is an understatement.

He watches her laugh for a moment, and then turns his attention briefly to the third person in their party. Her name is Syal Senthe and she is Nyche's older sister, and is a spitting image of her sister physically. Emotionally is another story. Where Nyche is calm and collected, Syal is wild and exuberant. He is still amazed that the same parents can produce children so different from one another.

He turns his attention back to Nyche, and wonders once again how exactly the Jedi can deny love and marriage. He is suddenly very glad that his father did not turn him over to the Temple for training when he was born, but undertook to train him secretly, in much the same way he was secretly married.

Valin wonders what sort of pressures such a secret would inflict on the heart, how someone could withstand that pressure for so long without breaking. He knows that he wants to scream out his love for Nyche from the tallest spire of Coronet, even if such a gesture would cause her to blush uncontrollably.

He lands the speeder in the small clearing where they are planning on having their picnic. He quickly gets out, and walks to the brook which flows through the clearing, creating a gentle babbling noise in the background.

Then turning his attention back to the girls, he can't help but smile at them, his love, and their chaperone. A crashing sound draws his attention and he turns around to face the sound, hoping that it's not one of the larger predators that can occasionally be found in the woods this far out.

He frowns as a man stumbles out of the forest, dressed in what appears to be torn and dirty Jedi robes. Valin looks him over, noticing the ginger hair is unkempt and dirty, and the stubble of growth on the man's cheeks. he looks at the three of them, and Valin can feel the shock coming off of him in the Force. He collapses to his knees, and his voice is harsh and low. "Thank the Force."

Then the man collapses, falling unconscious.

Valin carries him over to the speeder, and leans him up against it, then grabbing one of the bottles of water; he slowly raises it to the man's lips. Looking down he notices the lightsaber hilt attached to the man's belt. The stranger sputters slightly, and starts coming to.

His grey eyes lock on each of them in turn and Valin gently probes him with the Force, sensing the deep, understated power within him. "Can anyone tell me which planet I'm on?"

Syal who had spent the entire time, hovering over Valin, watching the stranger intently speaks up to answer his question. "Corellia. Why wouldn't you know what planet you're on? Where did you think you are? And what's your name?"

Valin sees the shock register in the strangers face, as he once more looks at Syal, and reaches out to gently caress her cheek. His voice when he speaks is a low whisper. "You look so much like my Jysella."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A strange expression crosses Syal's face. "Who's Jysella?"

Ben's eyes once more focus on the here and now. "She's my girlfriend. I was meeting her for lunch, when something happened."

Valin frowns. "Girlfriend? Aren't you a Jedi? And what were you doing meeting her way out here?"

Ben shakes his head, as if trying to clear it. "Yes, my girlfriend, and yes I am a Jedi. But I wasn't meeting her out here; I wasn't even on this planet. I was on Coruscant."

The three share a look, and Nyche steps up as Syal goes to ask some more questions. "I'm certain that we all have questions we want to ask the Master Jedi, but for now, he could probably use something to eat, and to go see a medic."

The look she shoots Valin and Syal leaves no room for argument, as Ben slowly nods his head. "Yes, something to eat would be wonderful, thank you."

Syal rushes off to find something esculent, and grabs some fruit from the picnic basket. She takes it back to Ben, and as she hands it over asks a question. "What's your name?"

Between bites he answers her question. "Ben, Ben Skywalker."

She smiles at him, a large one, which reminds Ben so much of Jysella's. "I'm Syal, and that's Nyche and he's Valin."

Then lowering her voice to a whisper so Nyche can't hear, she asks another question. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to form attachments or have relationships like that."

Ben frowns at her question, wondering where she dredged up that tidbit of information. "That was the Old Jedi Order, when my dad rebuilt the Order after the Purges; he saw no reason to not allow attachments."

Ben watches as the three of them once more share a look, confusion evident on all of their faces. Finally Syal voices their confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ben looks between the three of them. "Vader? The Empire? The Purges? Even the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Most of this is school-age galactic history."

Valin shakes his head, to show that they still don't know what he's talking about.

And Ben once more questions his sanity. Valin looks between the two girls once more. "Let's take him to my dad; he'll know what to do."

With nods all around, they get back into Valin's speeder and head back into Coronet.

------------------

The home of Nejaa & Scerra Halycon, Coronet, Corellia.

Valin lands the speeder in front of his house, and quickly jumps out, even as they are entering the home, he is calling out. "Hey Dad!"

"In here."

Valin leads the group through a formal sitting room, into a more family oriented den. Sitting at a duvet are a distinguished looking man, and lovely woman, Ben looks closer at the man, as he resembles Master Horn. Across from them is another middle-aged man, wearing a high-necked tunic, with a green logo on the breast. Valin walks over to the pair on the duvet. "Dad, we found someone in the woods."

Then looking back towards Ben, he gestures that he should come forward. "Ben Skywalker, meet my parents, Nejaa and Scerra Halycon, and a family friend Rostek Horn. Mom, dad, Mr. Horn, may I present Master Jedi, Ben Skywalker."

Ben absently notes the scared look which passes between Valin's parents, but most of his attention is focused on Rostek. He looks the man up and down, having seen multiple pictures of him over the years, Ben clearly recognizes him. Yet he is decades younger than he should be, then he has any right to be.

"How can this be?"

He can hear Nejaa behind him. "How can what be?"

He points towards Rostek. "Him, he's young."

Ben doesn't realize that he's about to faint, that seeing Rostek Horn at thirty-nine, when by all rights he should be well into his nineties is just one more thing than his brain is currently prepared to handle. As he starts to fall, he can feel Valin's hands reach out and grab him, lowering him gently to the ground.

Then unconsciousness claims him. Gives him a respite from what he's suffering through, gives his overloaded brain time to process everything that's happened.

------------------------

Dooku's Hanger Bay, Geonosis

Anakin Skywalker fights with single-minded ferocity. He started this battle with two borrowed blades, one of which has already been sliced in two. He powers his blows with his anger and fear. An anger directed at the Sith before him for trying to kill Padme and Obi-wan, a fear due to having left Padme out on the sands while chasing Dooku. Yet for all his skills, for all the power he places into every blow, the old man he's fighting matches strike by strike, playing with him. Anakin fights in near silence, his blade a blur, trying, hoping for an opening, while Dooku fights in equal silence, batting away Anakin's blade as if he's not trying.

And that's because Count Dooku is not trying.

Finally beginning to tire, Dooku goes on the offensive again, and quickly slides his blade beneath Anakin's guard. A quick lift of the blade leaves Anakin screaming in pain and shock as his sword arm falls to the ground. Dooku smiles and Force pushes Anakin on top of Obi-wan.

As Anakin lies on the ground; the shock of having an arm suddenly cut off renders him unconscious. As he drifts in that deep pool of blackness, he receives a vision of a man, a few years older than himself, with ginger hair, fighting a dark monstrosity wearing a suit of black armor and a twirling cape. Their sabers locked the blue of his contrasting sharply with the red of the monstrosity's saber. What it means, he does not know, but he feels a connection to the man, an interlocking of fate, and he wonders when they will meet.

He wonders if when they do, will they be friends or foes?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ben looks at his new friends and sees the fear in their eyes at the things he had told them. He can see Rostek pacing by the fireplace, and Nejaa just looks grim. He does feel slightly guilty at not telling them everything, at not telling them that he was dating Valin's granddaughter, but Ben figured the story of the Galactic Civil War would be hard enough to swallow.

Finally Nejaa speaks. "Why would we believe you?"

Ben knew it would come to this sooner or later, and focuses his attention fully on the older man. Ben still has a trump card to play, as Nejaa is not wearing his robes, and was not introduced as a Jedi, but Ben knows who he is. "You are a Jedi, you would know if I'm lying."

As he says that, he can feel the hostility in the air. Especially coming off of Scerra. "We don't know what you're talking about."

He smiles at her and shakes his head. "That's okayu Scerra, because I do. He is Nejaa Halycon and you are Scerra Halycon, the biological grandparents of one of the Masters of the Jedi Order, Corrran Horn."

Then a hypercom unit goes off, and Nejaa walks to the other room to answer it and begins talking in hushed tones.

Ben turns his attention back to Scerra. "What would it take to make you believe me?"

From the doorway Nejaa speaks up. "I believe you."

Everyone turns towards him, but it is Scerra who speaks. "What happened?"

"That was the Jedi Temple; the Separatists have declared their intentions to secede from the Republic. Apparently there was a rather large battle between the Jedi and Separatist forces on Geonosis, a lot of the Jedi were killed."

Ben frowns. "Was that all?"

Nejaa shakes his head. "No, I've been recalled to Coruscant. Rostek, I need you to take care of my family for me."

Rostek nods his head.

Scerra rushes over to Nejaa, and grasps his tunic. "No! Don't go. You heard Ben; if you leave you don't come back."

Nejaa sadly shakes his head. "The future is always in motion, besides if he said I left, then I already have."

Ben looks up from where he had been staring at his feet. "It's worse than that."

Everyone looks towards him and Rostek speaks. "How is it worse?"

"Do any of you know about Chaos Theory?"

Syal answers. "Yes, it's a mathematics and physics theory, detailing things like if a flitnat flaps his wings in the northern continent that the resulting wind will turn into a tornado in the southern continent."

Ben smiles at her, and sees a blush creep into her face. "Exactly! History must play itself out as if I never appeared or else my grandfather and father may not be exactly who they need to be at the right time to stop the Sith."

Ben turns his gaze towards Nejaa. "So what I'm saying is that even if you meet my grandfather out there, then you can't just cut him down. And you have to go out there, because you may meet him."

Ben looks from one person to the next in turn.

First it is Nyche and Valin, he notices the silent strength they both display, even as she unconsciously clings to him.

Then he focuses on Nejaa and Scerra, her death grip on Nejaa's tunic oddly reminiscent of the grip Nyche has on Valin. They are more in control of their emotions than the younger couple; surer of themselves, but Scerra is already grieving for her husband.

Next is Rostek, who has once more taken up his pacing. An angry scowl on his face as he works through the implications of everything he has learned this evening.

Finally he focuses on Syal. For all the wildness she exhibited when he first met her, the constant questions, the standing in the open-air speeder as they traveled here, it is she that is most scared.

And in her fear and worry, she is biting at her bottom lip, making her look just that much more like his Jysella. Her fear, her resemblance to Jysella, all those little things are just breaking his heart all the more. Without thinking, he walks over to her and wraps her in a hug, kissing the top of her head the way he has often done to Jysella in the past.

She clings to him, glad for the warmth and security he offers. He whispers down towards her. "It will all be all right in the end."

Nejaa's voice intrudes on Ben's thoughts. "You speak of certainties, when there is still much we don't know."

Ben looks up from Syal without letting her go, focusing on Nejaa. "The Force is my ally that is all the certainty which I need."

----------

A Meditation Room of the Jedi Temple, Coruscant.

Yoda is deep in thought and meditation. The Force has been swirling for days. Something has happened, is going to happen, something which the Force tells him is inevitable. Finally coming closer to consciousness he hears the whispered voices of the two other Jedi in this room with him.

Then he hears a deep breathing, it sounds mechanical, metronomic, dark, and ominous. Yoda opens his eyes, wondering what it means.

Obi-wan Kenobi speaks up as he looks between Mace Windu and Yoda. "I have to admit that without the clones, it would have not been a victory."

Yoda scoffs at that. "Victory? Victory you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the Clone War has."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It has been two years since Ben first appeared in this time. He has quickly shed his mantle as a Jedi, realizing that he would not fit in with the Jedi of this era. His penchant for attachment would cause him to just be expelled from the Order, if he could even be accepted in the first place. Yet he could not forgo his desire to help others.

With the help of Rostek, Ben had managed to have an identity created for him, and joined the Corellian Security Force. Tomorrow he is getting his new partner, a fresh recruit right out of the academy, and someone who happens to be his best friend, Valin, or Hal Horn as he calls himself anymore.

Ben thinks back to what has occurred over the two years, the information he has found out about the Clone Wars and Jysella's family, things that she still did not know, and probably never would. Silently he wonders if he'll ever be able to tell her, even while knowing the truth is that he probably won't ever be able to.

As much as it pains him to admit it, he's gotten over Jysella, resided himself to the fact that he will never be able to get home. He is moving on with his life.

And he thinks that Syal Senthe is and will continue to be a part of that moving on. He glances at her sitting beside him in the speeder and gives her a quick smile which she returns. For her part, she loves the speed and recklessness with which Ben drives; the sharp turns, the sudden acceleration and deceleration. It calls to her, to a fundamental part of her which wants to run and fight, to live life fast and hard.

The part of her that draws her to Ben.

Landing the speeder in front of the restaurant, he quickly jumps out and rushes to open her door, escorting her into where they're having this their latest date. He smiles at her, as they walk into the restaurant arm-in-arm, making inconsequential small talk.

But deep down Ben is still worried; the last time that he was this happy he was thrown back in time to here. In the back of his mind he wonders just what will happen to ruin his happiness this time.

After the meal they are served a small desert, and Ben watches Syal over it. Admiring everything about her, for a second a frown flits over his face, as he realizes that he hasn't compared her to Jysella in months, but that thought is quickly expelled. He realizes and accepts that Jysella is his past, and he returns to watching her with just a ghost of a smile on his lips. She notices his stare. "What?"

"Just watching." A blush starts to color her cheeks, as he continues speaking. "You know, you've made me happier than I can ever remember being."

She quirks an eyebrow. "Is this why you brought me here today? To tell me how happy I make you?" She smirks and glances around at the restaurant. "Rather expensive place to do so, something like that could be said sitting in the parlor at home."

Ben looks down at the confection in front of him. He is suddenly self-conscious, unsure if he's doing the right thing. He remembers the lecture that he gave to them all the night before Nejaa went away, about not allowing his presence to change things. The rule about not doing things differently because of what he told them.

It figures that he would be the one unable to listen to that rule.

He looks up and sees the slight amusement in her eyes. "No, or at least not just that."

"Oh? And tell me Ben; just what did you bring me here to tell me?"

"Did I ever tell you how many parents met and ended up getting married?"

Syal leans back in her chair, somewhat startled by his change of topic. "No."

He smiles at her. "Well it's a really interesting story; remind me to tell you someday." And then he laughs.

She frowns slightly and throws her napkin at him. "You're teasing me!"

"Oh, I'd be much to terrified to tease you, milady."

The look she shoots him is one of pure disbelief, as if she's stunned he could say such a thing with a straight face.

He laughs lightly and then once more takes to studying the confection in front of him. He is startled by her voice as she speaks again. "It tastes better than it looks."

He looks up, and starts to blush. She smiles at him. "Ben, why not just tell me what you brought me here to say?"

He sighs, and starts fiddling with the small box in his pocket. Finally he locks gazes with her. "Do you remember when I arrived; I said that you all should behave as if I had never appeared in the timeline?"

She silently nods her head.

Pulling the box out of his pocket, he sets it on the table next to her desert plate. Her eyes follow his hand, and as he pulls back, they stay locked on the small box. "Well I broke my own rule. I've fallen in love with you, and want you to marry me."

Her eyes dart up to him at that, a smile beginning to break out on her face, as he slides from his chair, to kneel beside her. Taking her hand in his, he formalizes his request. "Syal Senthe, will you be my wife?"

Unknown to both of these two, across town, a similar event is playing out, as Hal proposes to Nyche. He is hoping to make the day he graduates from CorSec academy the happiest of his life, by asking for her hand.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The first news stories about "The Hero Without Fear" and "The Negotiator" begin to circulate, spreading from Coruscant's media machine, throughout the Core, Colony and Expansion regions. Posters and action figures are adorned with their likeness, and the populations of the Republic have some new heroes to give their love to. News reports from the Office of the Supreme Chancellor tell stories of the exploits of Skywalker and Kenobi, Anakin and Obi-wan.

They are hailed as the scourge of the Separatists, and their exploits quickly become playground fodder, and tales told in break areas at jobs and schools. Sympathizers of the Republic look up on the two with awe and love. Separatists look upon the pair with fear and loathing. Only Ben Skywalker and those around him know the truth; that both points of views are correct and wrong, that one should be loved and the other feared.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ben sits on the edge of the couch, watching the news reports from Coruscant. Even though the transmission has a decidedly pro-Separatist spin to it, Ben can understand what is happening. The Confederacy has staged an attack against Coruscant, intent on capturing Palpatine.

Ben grins, and finds himself hoping ever so slightly that the Separatists will take the time to kill Palpatine here and now. He knows it is not a very Jedi-like thought, but he harbors it anyways, even if he could never bring himself to assassinate Palpatine himself.

Hearing laughter, he looks over to see his wife and sister-in-law talking animatedly to one another. He smiles, happy and content in what his life has become. He no longer even harbors any resentment to the Force for allowing him to be dumped here in the past.

He wonders to himself, just when that feeling will collapse, when the Force will bring something else to hurt him with. Pushing those dark thoughts away he turns his attention back to the holonet, as reports on Anakin Skywalker entering Coruscanti space have begun trickling through the newsnets.

--------------------------------

Two weeks later.

Hal Horn is watching the news reports, his wife animatedly talking baby things with her sister, as a report concerning the death of General Grevious is aired. Then the broadcast is interrupted by a message from the Chancellor. Hal stares in disgust and fear at the dark cowled thing which speaks from behind the Chancellor's podium. His heart falling even further as Palpatine begins his speech singaling the end of an era, and the rise of an empire.

----------------------------

Three months after the Rise of the Empire

Hal grounds his teeth slight, it has been a months since the Clone Wars ended, since the Jedi were labeled traitors. Even though he believed Ben's story, he still held out hope for the Republic, for the Jedi. He glances towards his wife, his heart heavy and near to breaking. If all of Ben's prophecies all come true, she will bear him a son, at the cost of his father.

When a knock at the door startles him out of his thoughts and fears. He answers it and there before him stands a Camassi. "Valin Horn?"

"Yes."

"I am Ylenic It'kla I knew your father. He was a great Jedi, and a wonderful man. It is my great misfortune to tell you that he fell in battle against the forces of darkness. He did so, saving the life of myself and our comrade."

Hal cries out, and collapses against the frame. Ylenic pushes a package towards Hal, and then turns away into the night, his errand over, his intention to get away from the proof that his friend betrayed the code and the Order.

-----------------------------

One year after the rise of the Empire

Ben glances over at his wife and sister-in-law, smiling at the two of them as they discuss their pregnancies. He lets the smile drop from his face, as he considers and wonders just how his presence, how his choices here will affect the future. Then he decides that it does not matter. He made the choice to live a life here in the past, and right or wrong, that is the reality that he has to live with now.

He focuses his attention once more on the sisters sitting next to each other on the other couch. He smiles at the thought of the children they both are bearing, and reaches out with the Force to once more probe the child in Syal's womb. He can feel the feminine presence within her, and it makes him ecstatic.

Just the thought of being a father increases the smile on his face to galactic proportions. As the front door to his home opens, he turns that way and watches Hal enter. The younger man sits down beside Ben and sighs wearily, causing Ben to laugh. "What's the matter Hal?"

Hal looks towards Ben, and begins speaking in a low whisper which Ben has to strain to hear. "I don't get to sleep anymore. Nyche tosses and turns all night long, and she's up and down to the 'fresher throughout the night as well."

Ben grins at him, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "It's just practice for after the baby's born."

Hal's groan attracts the attention of the women, who come over to them. The roundness of Syal's stomach as she nears her fortieth week of pregnancy delights Ben, and he spares a glance from her to her sister's form, who is due a mere month after her.

A sharp pain from Syal pulls his attention back to his wife, and he notices the grimace that crosses her face and then disappears. He raises an eyebrow in question, and she shakes her head.

Then he once more pays attention to what Nyche came over to request and laughs as he realizes that they are once more going to go out for dinner; that the girls are both craving Chad food this evening.

As he stands, Ben glances at the holocom once more, noting the fact that Darth Vader has found and killed yet another of the Jedi. Sighing as he shakes his head, Ben turns off the machine, and goes to take his pregnant wife out to dinner. On their way to the restaurant, Ben feels yet another sharp pain from his wife, and turns towards her, her smile is strained and filled with pain. "Syal are you okay?"

She meekly nods her head, and then when another sharp pain hits, groans aloud. Ben's eyes flutter shut as he probes her and the baby with the Force. His eyes pop open, just as her water breaks in the back of Hal's speeder. Ben looks to Hal, an expression of horror on his face. "Hal, get us to the med center, Syal is in labor."

Hours pass, with the steady rising and falling of Syal's pain to keep Ben company, as he sits by her side in the delivery room. His attention is focused on her and the pressure she exerts on his hand as she pushes. Finally, the cries of new life drag his attention to the tiny bundle the medic is holding out to Syal. The medic's eyes go from Syal to Ben then back as he says, "Congratulations. It's a girl."

Ben is transfixed by the sight, speechless. A nurse walks over, holding a datapad. "What shall her name be?"

Ben glances to his wife who nods her head slowly. "Tamar." The nurse makes an entry and attaches a small anklet and then leaves the room, allowing the new family a moment of privacy. The newborn opens her eyes to stare up at her mother, and Ben is mesmerized by the intense green of her eyes.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ben is sitting on the couch, holding six month old Tamar, tickling her chin, smiling at the soft sounds the baby makes. He smiles at the top of her bald head, noticing that a few strands of bright red hair have started to appear. As he plays with his daughter, he can feel a chill start to walk up his spine, and a heavy malevolence infusing the Force. Standing, he gently sets Tamar down in her bassinet, and calls out for Syal.

When she enters the room, he glances her way. "Take Tamar and go into the kitchen."

Then there is a pounding on the door, and a synthesized voice can be heard through it. "Open up, by order of His Majesty the Emperor."

Ben walks to the door, and opens it, looking at the two storm troopers to either side, and finally allowing his gaze to fall upon the dark form of his grandfather.

Ben looks up into the mask, allowing the rhythmic breathing to wash away his fears. He quickly bows his head. "What can I do for you?"

"I am searching for Valin Halycon. You will tell me where he is."

Ben frowns. "I am sorry my lord, but I know no one of that name."

Suddenly Ben is propelled back into the house, crashing into one of the tables behind the sofa. "Do not trifle with me. I know there is a Force user in this house, and I know that Valin Halycon, son of Nejaa Halycon is alive and well still."

As the door opens from the kitchen, Ben turns his horrified glance that way, seeing Syal and Tamar being lead from it by two more stormtroopers. He can clearly feel Syal's fear in the Force, and turns his head back to Vader as he hears the snap hiss of a lightsaber.

"If you will not tell me, then perhaps she can be made to."

Vader takes a step towards Syal, and Ben's instincts take over, stretching out his hand, he calls the Force and his lightsaber to him, and ignites the blade, and quickly putting it beneath Vader's knocking him away from her. "Stay away from my wife and child Sith."

"Ah, Valin, I knew you would be easy to find."

I hide my grimace, hide the fact that I'm not Valin, and set myself ready to receive his attacks. Vader hesitates a moment, almost as if he is expecting Ben to attack first, then with a step forward, he is bringing his saber crashing down at Ben.

Ben throws his saber up; catching Vader's and staggers from the Force of the blow.

Seconds after catching the blade, the pressure is gone, and Vader's saber is coming in low. Ben parries that attack away, sliding to the left, and stabs in with his saber.

Vader catches Ben's blade, and stretches out his hand, sending Ben flying against a wall.

Ben picks himself up, and rushes Vader, sliding in under Vader's defenses, ramming his shoulder into Vader's stomach beneath the control panel. Vader grabs his shoulder and with a pulse in the Force flings Ben once more against the wall.

He can hear Syal's gasp, and Tamar start to cry.

A cold anger settles into the pit of Ben's stomach as he once more attacks. His blade coming in fast and strong, yet Vader's blade matches each strike perfectly. "Yes, your anger makes you powerful, you could be of great assistance to use, join me."

"Go to Hell."

"So be it."

Then Vader goes on the offensive, pushing Ben to his limits, his attacks coming lightning fast, and with a strength that leaves Ben's arms trembling after he parries every blow.

Ben flips backwards out of Vader's reach, landing on the far side of the sofa. Vader raises his hand and flings it at Ben and a shower of wooden spikes from the shattered sofa table come flying towards him. He throws up a Force shield, deflecting the shards which almost hit him.

Then he hears her cry out in pain. Turning his head, he sees a large shard sticking out from Syal, and in seconds he is there beside her, cradling her head in his lap, Vader and the duel all but forgotten.

"Syal, please don't die Syal."

She smiles up at him, a smile filled with pain and regrets and longing. Her voice is a pained whisper. "I love you Ben. Take care of Tamar."

As she passes, he screams his grief and rage out, coating the Force with his anger and despair. He notices Vader stumble backwards and the rush of emotions pounding through the Force, and can hear the whispers of the Dark Side, offering vengeance and power.

As he stands and prepares to use his anger and hate and grief to destroy Vader, a small whimpering cry stops him.

He turns and sees Tamar lying on the floor next to Syal's body. Bending down, he picks her up and softly begins singing his favorite song to her, not caring about Vader as he straightens and begins to stare at Ben.

_Grow old along with me!  
The best is yet to be,  
The last of life, for which the first was made_

Suddenly he stops singing and without looking up, he begins to talk to Vader. "Did you have a wife?"

The question surprises Vader, as none of the Jedi he has fought have cared about speaking with him. They usually just attack him, intent upon either allowing themselves to be destroyed or vainly attempting to destroy him. So in the novelty of the situation he decides to answer. "Yes, her name was Padme."

Ben rubs the few strands of red hair on his daughter's head, as he begins to cry at what the Force is telling him to do. "Children?"

"They died at the same time as her."

"Then you don't know the unadulterated love for a child. The willingness to sacrifice anything and everything for your child."

Vader does not reply, just stares at him.

"I won't fight you on one condition."

"What is that?"

"Ensure that she is taken care of, given a good home, not for me, because I know you have no cares about me, since I am a Jedi, but do it for Syal; do it because you were once a husband the same way I was."

Vader slowly nods his head. "It will be as you ask."

Ben places his forehead against his daughter's, touching her with the Force once more, infusing her with all the love, light and laughter that he has experienced, showering her with a hope, so deep-rooted that he hopes no matter what evils befall her, she will never give up her light.

Then he kisses her forehead, and places her once more in her bassinet. Then he calls his saber to his hand, and holds it out to Vader. Vader takes it from him, and stares at the hilt for a second.

Then igniting Ben's blade, he cuts Ben down where he stands, watching mutely as Ben's clothes crumple to the ground, his body dissipating into the Force.


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Imperial Palace, Imperial Center

Vader strides confidently into the throne room, knowing his Master is waiting for him, waiting on news of the death of Nejaa Halycon's son. He walks towards the throne and kneels before the Emperor.

"Rise my friend."

Vader stands. "Halycon is dead."

"I felt the disturbance."

Vader stands there, not saying anything. Palpatine looks at him. "Is there more my apprentice?"

"What was felt was not his death, but his response to his wife's death."

"His anger was great then, did you try to get him to join us? To become one of our executers?"

"No, my Master."

Palpatine leans forward in his throne, his disfigured face showing interest. "And why is that?"

Vader can feel Palpatine brush his thoughts with the Force. "He offered himself up, without a fight on one condition. That I not kill his daughter."

"I see. I am most disappointed in you Lord Vader for that weakness." Palpatine turns away from Vader a sneer crossing his face. "You are dismissed Lord Vader."

"Yes, milord." Vader bows his head, and turns leaving Palpatine sitting on his throne.

A few moments after Vader has left, he presses a button on his chair. "Director Isaard."

The reply comes immediately. "Yes, your majesty."

"There is a child on Corellia, the daughter of a Jedi who Lord Vader recently killed. Have her brought to me."

"It will be done milord."

Palpatine closes the connection, and allows a twisted smile to stretch his ghastly features.

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Two weeks later

Director Isaard walks into the throne room. In his arms a small bundle, with a fist poking out of the swaddling clothes. As he arrives at the proper distance, he kneels before Palpatine. Palpatine gets out of his throne, and walks the few steps to where Isaard kneels. His smile is lecherous as he takes the baby from Isaard. He probes her with the Force, and laughs.

"Yes, yes, she will do perfectly. She will be the first of my Hands. I will call her Mara Jade." Palpatine notices the Director still kneeling. "You are dismissed, and bring me a child nurse for her."

He turns his attention back to the small infant girl, the lecherous smile still pasted to his face and a malignant gleam in his eyes. "Yes, yes, you will make a splendid assassin."

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Six months after the birth of Ben Skywalker

Mara is holding her six-month old son, smiling, happy at this brief respite from the war. She can hear Luke in the refresher, getting cleaned up from the day's activities. As she watches the boy, she thinks of a song, one that she is not certain where she has heard before, but one which she instantly loves. Softly she begins singing.

_Grow old along with me!  
The best is yet to be,  
The last of life, for which the first was made_


End file.
